Skip to main content

Parliament demands report on collapsed buildings

Legislators have tasked the Ministry of Works and Transport to present a detailed report to Parliament on the collapse of buildings around the city within a week.
This followed presentation of a ministerial statement by the Minister of State for Transport, Hon Joy Kabatsi on the action taken by the ministry to enforce adherence to building standards and regulations. This comes after numerous accidents occurring at building sites, compensation of affected families and steps taken to stem the re-occurrence of such accidents.
Kabatsi said the Building and Construction Board which is charged with supervising construction sites has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and has not been able to carry out supervision.
She added that masons have taken advantage of the lockdown to put up buildings that have collapsed. She added that it is only after the lockdown that engineers responsible in the ministry will be able to fulfill their duties and curtail such mishaps.
“If there are buildings coming up in a rush during this period, we need to wait for the appropriate time for our engineers to intervene,” she added.
However, Legislators found the minister’s statement unsatisfactory adding that the matter was dire and required expeditious action from the Ministry.
The Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga said, “Is the Ministry of Works closed? If not, then the engineers ought to report back to duty and handle the matter”.
She added that collapsing buildings should constitute an emergency situation that dictates express action from the engineers in charge of supervising the buildings.
Butemba County MP, Hon Pentagon Kamusiime added that the systems within the government must be functional regardless of the prevailing situation.
“We need an assurance from the minister that means are devised within the ministry to manage these unscrupulous actions,” he added.
Hon. Joy Ongom (UPC, Lira District) added that, ‘the minister was seemingly not in charge if she cannot take charge of the matter’.
“Buildings have since time immemorial been collapsing and this is not the first time. The lockdown due to the pandemic should not be an excuse. The minister ought to take this seriously,” Ongom added.
Hon. Robert Kafeero Ssekitoleko, (NRM, Nakifuma County) and Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure said that in an interaction with Executive Secretary of the Building and Construction Board, he ascertained that it was poorly funded.
“From its inception, the Board does not have sufficient funding to execute its mandate which involves supervising construction projects,” he said.
Ssekitoleko however, said that a provision of Shs6 billion for the Board had been made in the budget for the financial year 2020 to 2021.
The Speaker directed the minister to deploy the engineers to do ground work on the matter and report back to Parliament.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

President Museveni Advice Muslims to pray from home as God is everywhere

President Museveni has told Muslims in Uganda to pray from their homes as they celebrate Eid el Fitir this Sunday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadhan. Mr Museveni said that although it will not be possible to congregate in mosques to celebrate Eid el Fitir because of the Coronavirus pandemic and that State House was not able to offer them the usual dinner at Entebbe, Allah would still bless them in their homes. "Allah’s boundless blessings will find you in your homes. The bible says that God is everywhere meaning he is in all places, even in your homes, he is there," he said. The President encouraged the Muslim faithful to make fasting and generosity that they have exhibited during the Holy Month, an integral part of their lives and not just a seasonal habit. In his message sent from State House Entebbe, Mr Museveni said that the intercessory prayers that Muslims have offered for the nation during the sacred month of fasting will make Uganda st...
Post a Comment
Read more

State house of Kenya Confirms Four Covid-19 cases

Four people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at State House, Nairobi. According to State House spokesperson Kanze Dena, the four cases were recorded during a mass COVID-19 testing held on Thursday, June 11. The infected officers were admitted at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital in Kiambu County for treatment. “The tests are conducted on all staff including His Excellency the President and members of his family,” said Kanze Dena, in a statement. “Families and close contacts of the affected officers are also being attended to accordingly.” The State House spokesperson has assured the public that President Uhuru Kenyatta and the First Family are safe and free from COVID-19. Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 infections in Kenya on Monday rose to 3,727 after 133 more patients tested positive for the disease. Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, speaking in Nyandarua on a tour of the county’s health facilit...
Post a Comment
Read more